Exterior Masonry
The outside of the building: veneer, full-bed stone, chimneys, block, and the stone that meets the weather.
Who it is for
Cottages and houses on the corridor that want stone on a wall, a chimney that is actually a stack, or a foundation and a first course that will survive freeze-thaw.
What done looks like
The profile is named, the wall is flashed at every top edge, the joints match the stone, and the grade does not bury the first course.
What to send
Elevations or photos of each side, and whether this is veneer, full bed, a chimney, or block.
On this line
Walls
Thin veneer and full-bed from Masonal. Manufactured veneer from Cultured Stone. Natural veneer from Pangaea, TerraCraft, and ThinCut, and Versetta or Willki when the wall should be fastened instead of mortared. Full bed only where the wall can carry it.
Openings and tops
Sills, heads, returns, and the metal at the top of every stone course. A gable, a wainscot, and a chimney shoulder fail in the same place: water sitting on the stone.
Chimneys, block, and old walls
New stacks, crowns, and caps. Concrete block for foundations and backup. Repointing when the wall is older than the mortar someone smeared on it. Those have their own pages. They are still exterior masonry.
The ground
Aura and Banas pavers, coping, steps, and caps. Seat walls and the stone face of an outdoor fireplace. The fire unit itself is chosen on basswoodfireplaces.ca. The base under a patio has to drain or it heaves.
Questions
Can the same stone run inside?+–
Often. The exterior side still gets flashing. An interior detail copied onto a gable will fail.
Do you do the whole elevation?+–
Yes, when the drawings or the photos show where the stone stops. A stone wall with no stop at the windows and the soffit is not a quote.